In the 1650s and 1660s, Patriarch Nikon of the Russian Orthodox Church implemented reforms that were rejected by many faithful, leading to the Great Schism, or raskol. This division resulted in a significant portion of the Russian population becoming isolated from the official church, with the raskol’niki viewed as defiant opponents of both church and state, facing intense persecution. Two centuries later, amid peasant protests and revolutionary conspiracies, these religious dissenters again became a focal point of national concern. The autocratic rulers of Russia equated Orthodoxy with political loyalty, perceiving heterodox beliefs as threats to internal security. Simultaneously, revolutionaries began to see the people as a vehicle for political change. While peasant loyalty to the Tsar often prevailed, the raskol’niki's history of persecution and resistance offered a potential source of opposition for radicals. Historian and radical thinker Afanasii Shchapov (1830-1876) advocated for religious dissent as a democratic movement, shaping the relationship between political and religious dissent leading up to the 1917 revolution. Through an examination of Shchapov’s works and various sources, Thomas Marsden illustrates that the raskol’niki were central to critical mid-nineteenth century issues in Russian society, including revolution, nationality, and progress.
